CLEARFIELD – A former Olanta woman has pleaded guilty to her involvement in a theft from a PA Skills machine that totaled over $5,400.
Stephanie Ann Mando, 42, who is currently in state prison on a probation violation, was sentenced to serve nine months to three years in state prison for felony conspiracy/theft by President Judge Fredric J. Ammerman during colloquy court on Monday.
She was also ordered to pay over $2,000 in restitution.
The charges stem from an incident on Feb. 1 when three suspects removed money after breaking into one of the Skills machines at a store in Lawrence Township.
An employee of the company that owns the machine noticed the next day that the display screen had been pried open and cash removed. A report indicated approximately $5,420 was missing from the device, which was in the back of the store.
According to the affidavit of probable cause, security footage shows three people were hanging out in that area for an extended period of time.
The first suspect was later identified as Kris Nevling, 44, the second as Mando and the third as Daniel Wetzel, 36, of Mahaffey.
In the footage, officers could see Nevling trying to open the contraption several times with Mando serving as a look out.
At one point, Wetzel and then Nevling exit the store while Mando is sitting at the machine, “holding its place from the general public.”
Nevling re-enters the store while holding his crotch area, which appears to hold a pry bar or a similar tool.
He goes to the bathroom before returning to the machine and Mando moves to allow him to sit there.
Nevling reportedly pulled the tool, which is visible in the security footage, from the left side of his pants.
Startled by other customers, Nevling puts the tool back down his pants and walks around, checking the windows. He then returns to the area and can be seen using the tool on the device.
The complaint states “he is pulling so hard you can see his weight shifting.”
He is interrupted again by customers while both Mando and Wetzel try to distract them.
At 6:43 p.m., he returns again to the machine while Mando keeps a look out. About five minutes later, Nevling can reportedly be seen stuffing his pockets.
Their suspicious activity continues with them leaving and returning to the same machine and removing items.
At 7:09 p.m., the footage shows the device’s screen door folded down and Nevling taking things from inside it, police said.
Eventually at 7:19 p.m., the three finally leave the business and the parking lot, traveling west on Clearfield-Shawville Highway.
Nevling is charged with felony theft and receiving stolen property along with misdemeanor possessing instruments of crime and criminal mischief. His case is currently listed as inactive.
Wetzel is charged with felony conspiracy/theft and felony conspiracy/receiving stolen property. According to online court records, he has signed a plea agreement and is scheduled to be sentenced in August.
In a second case, Mando pleaded guilty to false identification to law enforcement and disorderly conduct. For this, she received one-year concurrent probation and must pay $372.50 in restitution.